Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs is a former president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, CT. He currently serves Bat Yam Temple of the Islands in Sanibel, FL. A prolific writer, he is the author of several books, the most recent of which is …And Often the First Jew. Rabbi Fuchs earned a D. Min in Biblical Interpretation from Vanderbilt Divinity School, which, in 2017, named him its “Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.”

Environment and Climate Change

Every Day is Earth Day: Jewish Holidays and Environmental Justice

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

Since 1970, the United States has celebrated Earth Day every April. By contrast, ancient Jewish celebrations throughout the year remind us of our responsibility to safeguard the fragile planet God has entrusted to our care. Almost all of our Jewish observances reflect environmental concerns.

Silver star of David and a hamsa hanging from a key ring

Worship

The Three H's of Jewish Life: Head, Heart, and Hands

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

January 11, 2021

I envisioned an investigator examining our homes and our lifestyles to determine whether enough about us would convince a jury that we were indeed Jews. What would they look for? Would they deem us Jewish?

Man in a kippah with his back to the camera and his hand on the Western Wall

Jewish Life Under Quarantine

Hope: The Silver Lining in a Very Dark Cloud

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

July 23, 2020

My search for “silver linings” in no way minimizes the toll in suffering, pain, loss, and inconvenience the pandemic is exacting from our lives; I fervently pray it will end soon. Still, I believe that the secret to Jewish survival despite all the hardships and tragedy history has imposed on us is our ability to cling to the hope that things will get better.

Shavuot

How Shavuot is a Perfect Example of Reform Jewish Thinking

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

One of the great examples of Reform Jewish thinking, some 2,000 years before there was anything called Reform Judaism, regards the Festival of Shavuot. In the Torah, Shavuot is strictly an agricultural holiday, a celebration of both the first summer fruits and the barley harvest (Leviticus 23:15-22).

Dictionary open to anti-Semitism, with that word highlighted in neon yellow and a Jewish star stamp resting on the page

Rising Anti-Semitism in Germany: An On-the-Ground Assessment

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs

June 3, 2019

wife and I are in Germany, so I wasn’t surprised that a few people sent me “The New German Anti-Semitism,” a story in a recent edition of the New York Times Magazine.

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